Thorlu had often wondered where the bottomless well of wealth came from. When he’d asked Vygel, the man had been vague. Thorlu continued to be curious.
Vygel fussed with his cape and glanced back at their colleagues. “Hate groups.”
Thorlu scanned the crowd. “This one is particularly unsavory. They’re not The MasTer’s usual type. Have you told them why they have been summoned to TreBlaya?”
“Not my job, Thorlu. Yours.” Bulging eyes, stared at the screen. “I hate the Clenaba Rolas solar system; I dislike DerTah. I think I will let Renn know she is about to meet her destiny.” Vygel’s toothy smile held a touch of vindictiveness.
Thorlu kept his gaze on the screen. “As I seem to recall, Renn does not return your affection, Vygel. Perhaps it would be best if you allowed her to complete her work for The MasTer.”
Vygel shot him a dark look. “You take care of your business, Thorlu. I’ll look after mine.” Pivoting, he marched from the space.
Someone snickered. Another called, “Tangorra, why are we here. We’ve got things to attend to. Can’t waste time running to TreBlaya and back.”
The group fell silent, all eyes his direction. He smiled down at them, a smile so gracious it would melt the frosting on a cake. Few had met him. Few knew what hid behind the smile or the polite tone.
“The MasTer has summoned you to perform a task for him. When he is ready, I’m sure he will share. A word of caution: He is a man of little patience. I am sure you know that above all else he values and rewards loyalty. Do not let him know your discontent. He is The MasTer. He pays you and clothes you. He educated you. You are who and where you are because he took you in.”
Thorlu strode through the small crowd to the door. The men cleared a path as he approached, their faces stony. In the passageway, he paused.
Someone said, “Didn’t take us in. Kidnapped us. Made us do his bidding.”
A man replied. “I’m not complaining. Look where we are. We’re rich, powerful, and feared. Without The MasTer, we’d be nothing.”
Thorlu made his way to the lab. He had a feeling Renn Whalend might appreciate his help.
Esán leaned against the wall and reveled in the feeling of life flowing through his body. Ira had used Efillaeh. That and Henri’s concoction had left him feeling almost good. He knew his disease only slept. He knew it would be back, and when it took over his body again, he might not recover. But in this moment, he felt alive and alert. Based upon Elf’s pronouncement that they were headed for TreBlaya, he was grateful. His instincts told him what was to come would need all the strength he could muster.
Sitting on the floor with his arms around Shyllee, Elf let his fear go. A return to TreBlaya did not mean instant death. He had powerful friends. He glanced at Esán, glad that his color was better. Energy pulsed through him. Elf felt certain his new friend would managed the trip and whatever awaited them at the other end. Brie would help him, and Brie had more power than she realized. Shyllee licked his face. He wiped his sleeve across his cheek and hugged her warm friendliness. Besides I have Relevart’s dog. You won’t let the Mocendi hurt me, will ya, girl?
Brie sat next to Esán, her hand in his. She sensed the slow return of his energy and almost cried with relief. He moved closer and put his arm around her shoulder. In that instant, she felt warm and safe and another emotion that surprised her—loved. She felt loved by the boy who had, in truth, claimed her heart. If—no when—we make it out of this mess, perhaps… His blue eyes shifted from a fixed stare into nowhere to her face. She saw it there, the love he, too, had discovered. She leaned her head on his shoulder and savored the moment.
Ira tried to nap. Desirol—his face, the Mindeco, its struggle to take over his friend—haunted him. He opened his eyes and stared at the curve of the ceiling. Desirol is in danger. I feel it in every fiber of my body. Reaching beneath his drango tunic, he fingered the hilt of the sacred knife. Corvus charged me with his care. If the Mindeco decides to shed his body, Efillaeh is the one thing that can save him. Shrugging his need for sleep aside, he sat up. If anyone knows where Des might be on this ship, it’s Elf. Elf looked up and nodded.
Desirol lay in a drugged stupor. Whenever he began to swim to the surface, someone sent him plummeting back to a place where he and the Mindeco walked side by side. The tall, gangly creature never looked his direction, only stared straight ahead and muttered strange, sinister words. Desirol kept his gaze on the featureless ground, kept his attention fixed on keeping himself intact. He wished his friends would find him. But then, like him, they might be drugged. The Mindeco growled. Desirol kept walking, kept his eyes down, kept his hand on the Remembering Stone in the velvet pouch hanging on the blue ribbon around his neck.
Henrietta Avetlire in the form of Coala Renn Whalend worked in the lab not too distant from the room where Desirol lay in a drug-induced sleep. She could feel the boy’s struggle and wished she had the means to help.
The sound of the laboratory door’s soft shish, shish sent all traces of Henri into hiding. Vygel’s awkward gait carried him to her work station. Something about his manner, the look on his face, made her inwardly recoil.
He picked up a flask, swirled the contents, and watched it resettle before returning it to the counter. “I hope you are close to completing your work, Renn. We have left our orbit around DerTah. Our next stop will be TreBlaya.” He sniffed and inched closer. His hand hovered near her cheek, then lowered. “The MasTer is a demanding and exacting individual.”
Steeling herself, Renn held a flinch in check. “If I am to finish before we reach TreBlaya, Vygel, I need uninterrupted work time.” She took a deep breath. “Which means, please go away.”
The gawky man bristled, but said nothing. He gazed down at her for a moment longer, wheeled around, and marched from the lab.
Renn picked up a test tube and studied its contents. The door opened. Thorlu strode to the station and smiled down at her.
With a sigh, she replaced a test tube in its holder and shot her visitor an irritated look. “If you came to tell me we are on the way to TreBlaya, I know. I also know I need to accomplish the tasks assigned to me. This lab has been as busy as the Avenue of Trees during morning exercise. I can’t get anything done. Please tell me why you are here so I can get back to work.”
“Poor, Renn. I gather that Vygel stopped by. I believe he has a crush on you, my dear.” He scrutinized her station. “Teola gave me a list of the herbs you requested. I am assuming you used them in the serum for regenerating Human tissue.”
“All but the winter cress. I used it to make a headache remedy for myself. I can show you what’s left if you’d like.”
He took a step nearer. His breath stirred the hair on the top of her head. Fingers like a vice grip, tipped her chin up. “Don’t ever lie to me, Renn. I can protect you better than anyone on this ship. If you lie, it will make me disinclined to do so.” He released her chin.
She didn’t move. “If I do what I am asked, why would I need protection from you or anyone else?”
“I believe you have guessed that Torgin is not on the ship. You will never see either your companion or your son again. You are a beautiful woman, and you are fair game. I can guarantee that once The MasTer no longer needs you, you will need my protection.”
With the grace and power of a big cat, he strode to the door. Renn sank onto her stool. A part of her wanted to scream in frustration, a part to wilt with despair, and another to stop the facade of the docile Idronattian. Where is all this leading? Time and TreBlaya hold the answers.
Brie watched Ira with interest. He had gathered his friends around him in a tight huddle. Agitation made his blue eyes dart from one person to the next.
“Des is in trouble. I can feel it right here.” Splayed fingers pressed against his belly. “I can’t sleep because I dream of him. He’s always in my thoughts. We have to find him.”
Elf put an arm around his shoulders. “Your talents mature, Ira Raast. I’ve felt him, too. The
Mindeco plots. He is tired of being confined in a body he has no control over. Better to drop it and take another.”
Brie looked at Elf. “Do you know where they’re keeping him?”
He nodded. “The infirmary down the hall from Renn Whalend’s lab. The Mocendi are keeping him drugged to control the Mindeco.”
Esán looked thoughtful. “I bet Renn can make a drug that will keep the Mindeco quiet.”
“I’ll go find out.” Brie prepared to shift. “You make a plan. I’ll see if Renn has any suggestions. If something happens and I don’t make it back, rescue him without me.”
Esán stayed her with a hand on her wrist. “Check with the Star of Truth. If it says you’re safe, fine. If not, I’ll go.”
Brie concentrated on the star. A strange vibration running through the ship mingled with a sharp tingle down her spine. She felt it in the floor and the walls. Her gaze flew to Elf.
“Our first jump. We’ll make three before we reach TreBlaya.” He touched the Star on the nape of her neck. “You’d better hurry. I’ll be close.”
She shifted and crawled through the vent into the plantitarium. Zipping to the ventilation shaft, she arrived at the lab and crawled into the storage space.
Renn waited in the shadows. Brie shifted.
Renn whispered, “I am watched non-stop.” She handed her a small bottle. “For De—”
A pain shot up Brie’s neck. Renn whipped around. Thorlu stood in the doorway.
“Ahhhhh. You must be Brie, Esán’s friend. I wouldn’t disappear. If you do, Renn will pay.” He glanced up at the mesh vent. “I’ve wondered how you were managing to stay hidden. You’ll have to give me a tour when you take me to your friends.” A devious look momentarily morphed the handsome face. The smile that followed raised the hair on the back of Brie’s neck.
“You, Brie, are going to be my secret weapon.” The smile widened. “You—”
An alarm blared, lights flashed off, then on, then off. The alarm blared again. Brie shifted and shot through the vent. Heading away from the plantitarium, she made her way to the cell that and been Esán’s prison. Once inside, she materialized.
Elf appeared beside her and clasped her hand. The next instant they stood in a cargo bay, and the next they arrived amidst box-lined shelves in the silence following another blast of the alarm. The lights flashed on.
Brie peeked through a rectangular window. Desirol lay on a bed in the middle of a small room. Beside him, a screen lit up with the return of the lights. Equipment attached to the bed began to buzz and hum. An attendant hastened into the room, checked Desirol’s pulse, scanned him with a hand-held body scanner, and bustled away. Another man hurried in, pushed buttons on a touch screen, checked readouts on the equipment, nodded his satisfaction, and left.
The door slid open a third time to admit Thorlu.
Brie glanced up at Elf. His face looked as blank as his mind felt.
Yaro, in the form of a laridae, circled the small cove where SeaBella lay at anchor and her crew slept. Swooping over Triple Moon Strait, he discovered the fishing trawler further up the strait in a curve in the shoreline that provide a small amount of protection. Landing on the mast, he observed two men standing on deck.
The older of the two held the stub of a smoker in yellow-stained fingers and looked bored. The other ranted.
“How could we have lost them? It’s a strait for The MasTer’s sake. When I hired you, you told me you knew it like the back of your hand.”
A cloud of smoke preceded the older man’s reply. “Musta missed it in that mist. Never seen anything like it ’round here. Wasn’t willin’ to risk my boat.” He took a final drag and flipped the smoker over the side. “Now, ya can either stay up here and gripe, or ya can rest. I’ll see ya at dawn.” He disappeared below.
A third man joined his comrade on deck. “Don’t worry about that fool.” He jerked a thumb in the direction the boat’s captain had gone. “As long as we get to the portal before the kids, we’re good. We can get the kids, and then we make him pay.”
“Think the trap is set?”
“Ya. Wished they’d left a Mocendi though. The kids are supposed to be pretty powerful.”
“We’ll handle it. ’Sides, we got help at the portal.’’ He stretched. “Better rest up.”
Yaro flew inland and made his way back to SeaBella . Gregos and Tamosh awaited him on deck.
“Well?” Gregos demanded.
Yaro described the men on the boat and repeated the conversation.
Gregos chewed the tip of his mustache. “Trouble in the ranks. Good for us, bad for them. Sure wish we knew what kinda trap.”
Tamosh mused, “Interesting that they expect to find children aboard. We ought to be able to use that to our advantage. If we can create a distraction that pulls the focus to us, maybe Yaro can sneak Renn into the portal before they notice.”
Gregos yawned. “Suggest we get some sleep. Hard to plan until we see the lay of the land, so ta speak.” Another yawn carried him below deck.
Yaro looked down at Tamosh. “Worried?”
He shrugged. “Would be stupid not to be. Glad you’re with us, Yaro.”
Yaro inclined his head. “Sleep well, Tamosh. Tomorrow will arrive too soon.”
Tamosh slipped below. Night’s quiet cradled SeaBella . Yaro stared up at the heavens. A deep longing for ReTaw au Qa flooded his heart. He missed the swampland and Mangal trees, the hummocks and myriad of creatures that lived there. He missed his own kind. Stretching out on the deck, he whispered, “I have a promise to fulfill. When Renn Whalen is safe, I must find my heart brother. Only when The Unfolding is complete…” He yawned and, with the skill born of long cycles of grabbing rest on the fly, he slept.
47
Master’s Reach
Myrrh
S parrow woke with a start. The tomb-quiet of Veersuni and Allynae, finger to lips, kept her silent. She raised a questioning brow. His gaze swung to a soot-colored mist wafting above the fountain. Evil pervaded the sanctuary.
Shivering, she slipped a hand into his. In unison they moved soundlessly toward Elcaro’s Eye. Halfway there, they hesitated, tense and straining to hear.
As though blown by the wind, the mist thinned. The water, still as a stagnant pool, seemed to wait. Sparrow and Allynae took a cautious step forward.
The image of a pristine canvas came into focus on the surface. A silhouetted woman raised brush and began to paint. Allynae whispered, “You.”
Sparrow, eyes glued to the water, nodded.
Quick brush strokes brought an angelic face to completion. The artist’s silhouette misted into nothing. On the canvas, cherub blue eyes blinked.
A hacking cough, a raspy voice… “What do you see?” More coughing.
Large, scaled hands tore the canvas to pieces. Trembling water erased the image. An older woman huddled in folds of deep purple wavered into focus. A tall, winged creature handed her a goblet from which she sipped.
The coughing eased. She lowered the goblet to her lap. “If all is clear above, we will fly today, Abarax.” Her harsh voice quaked with fatigue.
The creature bowed. “The ship has not yet returned and the sun hides behind a curtain of clouds, my master.”
She sipped again from the goblet and set it aside. “Let us go while my strength holds.” Throwing her cape aside, she took his hand and descended the two steps to the floor. “Ring the bell. Make sure everyone has obeyed and hidden from sight.” A cough wracked her emaciated body. “I want no one to see me.”
Abarax crossed to a tasseled pull and yanked, once, twice, three times. Deep, muffled chimes sounded the warning. The Astican scooped the woman up in leather-scaled arms and carried her down a long corridor. Midway, he stepped through Gothic arched doors onto a balcony and helped her to stand.
For a time she rested pale, withered hands on a black, stone balustrade. Sunken eyes scanned a long dead landscape. “It looks the way I feel.” Exhaustion weighted the words as much as it weigh
ted her body. Stretching fleshless arms wide, she drew one deep, wrenching breath and shifted. An eagle-like bird with deep green plumage soared upward.
The Astican unfurled scaled wings and lifted into flight, its responsibility—keep The MasTer safe—uppermost in its mind,
Barren hills and dried riverbeds stretched below them. Nothing moved; nothing lived. Where lush forests had once thrived, charred trees strewn by blasts of wind decayed on heat-blistered ground. Rancid odors rose in plumes of acid steam from jagged cracks scarring the surface. An immense pit gaped wide. Fire blazed. Smoke billowed upward.
The MasTer banked in a wide arc. Strong galee wings carried her back the way she had come. Swooping low, she landed on the balcony and collapsed in a heap. The shift to Human left her gasping and coughing. Abarax carried her back to her chambers, laid her on a single four poster bed, and helped her to drink from a goblet.
“Wake me when the ship arrives.”
It bowed and pulled the black drapes closed around her bed. Her guardian and her conspirator, it sat upon her throne and watched.
Its face once more filled the fountain’s bowl. Hatred, malice, loathing shone in its cherubic eyes. Its gaze traveled to the shrouded bed. Pity and compassion made a fleeting appearance. A greedy glint registered and stayed.
The image dissolved, leaving behind the hint of a mist wafting above the surface. Water droplets cascaded into the bowl.
Sparrow wiped a tear from her cheek. “I know she has done horrid things to worlds and people, but…” She stared at the water. “We’ve read so much about her; yet I never expected to see her.” She looked at Allynae. “Why do you think she wants the children?”
Allynae scratched his chin. “She wants Efillaeh and the compass and the Remembering Stone.”
The UnFolding Collection Three Page 53